Washing machine detergent dispenser



Oct. 22, 1968 Filed May 26, 19e? J. P. STEELE ET AL vWASHING MACE-HNE DETERGENT DISPENSER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 22, 1968 J. P. STEELE ET AL 3,405,876

WASHING MACHINE DETERGENT DISPENSER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed My 26, 1967 siv United States Patent O 3,406,876 v f WASHING MACHINE DETERGENT DISPENSER Jonathan Peter Steele, London, and Franklyn Reynolds,

High Wycombe, England, assignors to The. Hoover Company, North Canton, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Filed May 26, 1967,'Ser. No. 641,694 A Claims priority, application Great Britain, May 27, 1966,

4 Claims. (Cl. 222-493) ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A dispenser for particulate detergent including a pivoied baille plate chaarcterized in that the pivoted .baille plate is operated by the closure lid ,for/.the detergent dispenser and is moved to a position extending across the detergent compartment to prevent the detergent `from falling through the outlet when the lid is raised and while the detergent is being added and the baille is moved out of blocking position to the outlet when the lid is closed to permit the water to ilush Ythe detergent into the outlet., I l.

Background of the invention rThis invention relates to washing machine detergent dispensers, and is concerned with the provision of arrangements wherein detergent can be retained in the dispenser for example during an initial part of a cycle of the washing machine.

According to the present invention arwashing machine detergent dispenser comprises a compartment for retaining a particulate composition until a required period, the compartment having an inlet and an outletvfor Water and an access opening through which the composition may be poured into the compartment, the access opening having a lid, and a movable baille being provided which is arranged in an operative position to extend across the compartment at least while the lid is open thereby at least partially to separate temporarily that part of the compartment having the outlet from that part into which the composition maybe poured. Y

The baille may be arranged toV be moved into and out of the operative position by movement of the lid, and preferably in the operative position, the baille is .capable of movement with respect to the lid to enable access via the access opening to the region of the outlet, e.g. for cleaning purposes. Thus the baille and lid may be mounted on a common hinge and be connected together by means of a spring which enables the relative movement.

It will be appreciated that the term washing machine is a general one and the detergent dispenser according to the invention could be used on either a clothes washing machine or a dish washing machine. It also will be appreci-ated that the term detergent is used in a general sense and that other water treating and fabric or article treating compounds could be used with applicants invention.

Description of the drawings FIGURE 1 is a side sectional elevation on the line 1-1 of FIGURE 2 of part of the upper end of a washing machine and illustrating the invention as applied to a detergent dispenser for a washing machine;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional plan on the line 2-2 of the FIGURE 1 and showing a baille in one of the tWo detergent compartments of the dispenser;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional end elevation view on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1 showing the baille in its lowered lid of the detergent dispenser ina raised position and also n indicating the manner in which the baille is deected for cleaning purposes.

M Description of th preferred embodiment FIGURE 1 illustrates part of a top cover for an` automatic washing machine, the rcovervhaving mountedin it various control mechanisms and also a detergent dispenser by which two charges of detergent are dispensed automatically into the washing machine container at diiierent times in a washing program. Thetop cover of the washing machine which is generally'indicated at 10 is arranged to be hinged upwardly when access is required to the control mechanisms within the-eover or to parts of the machine within the lower section 11 thereof.

Mounted in the lid 10 in one corner thereof is a soap dispenser generally indicated at 12.

In FIGURES 1 and 2 the dispenser 12 will be referred to as having an inlet end wall 13 on the right and an outlet end wall 15 on the left. As shown in these ilgures the dispenser comprises a generally rectangular dish formed as a single molding of plastics material. The sides and ends of the dish are substantially vertical but as shown in FIGURE 3 the underside of the dish is formed with two smoothly curved concave bottom portions 16 and 17 adjacent edges of each of which merge into a vertical partition 18 situated generally centrally within the dish. Adjacent the outlet end the vertical partition has an obliquely ofi-set portion 19 and at its inlet end the partition divides into two generally vertical end partitions'21 and 22 each of smoothly curved form in plan. As shown in FIG- URE 2 these vertical end partitions are separated from the end wall 13 of the dish to leave a compartment 24 having a bottom 2S provided .at one side with a drain outlet 26 as shownin FIGURE 1.

Adjacent the outlet end wall 15 of the dispenser and situated directly beneath the off-set portion 19 is a tubular -drain outlet 27, the lower end of which is defined by a circular outline 28 in FIGURE 2. It will be seen that the olf-set portion 19 of the partition 18 has a lower edge 29 which projects downwards into the tubular drain outlet 27, i.e. below the level of the lowest regions of the bottom portions 16 and 17, the portion 19 also having narrow webs 30 on each inner side of the drain outlet 27 these webs extending to the lower end of this outlet. Formed in the wall of the tubular drain outlet 27 is an opening 32 which is connected by means of a rubber hose 33 to the drain outlet 26 so that any liquid which is received in the compartment 24 is drained to the outlet 27.

Super-imposed on the molding forming the dish is a further molding forming a cap 34 having downwardly projecting ridges 3S which are located around the upper ends of the vertical end partitions 21 and 22. Adjacent its lother end the cap 34 has a pair of ridges 36 which are loc-ated on the upper end of the off-set portion 19 of the vertical partition. As shown in FIGURE l the cap 34 seats on a ledge 38 formed at the upper periphery of the dish forming the main molding of the dispenser.

Projecting into the two compartments 40 and 41 formed within the main molding of the dispenser by the partition 18 and the vertical end partitions 21 and 22 are a pair of curved dellectors 42 formed on and depending from the underside of the cap 34.

Each of the vertical end partitions 21 and 22 is provided adjacent its upper end and in the center thereof with a circular hole 45, and integrally formed in the end wall 13 Patented Oct. 22, 1968 immediately opposite each of the holes 45 is a water jet which is generally indicated at 46. Each jet, as shown in FIGURE 1, is formed by an outwardly projecting sleeve 47 with a bore having a main cylindrical section 49 at its outer end and a frustoconical section 50 adjacent its inner end this latter section terminating in a circular outlet 51 immediately opposite the associated hole 45. Situated within the main ,cylindrical section 49 of the bore of the Water jet are a number of ilow straightening vanes 52 by which water projected through the circular outlet 51 is caused to have a substantially cylindrical form at least until it passes through the hole 45.

After passing through the hole 45 the jet of water impinges on the curved deilector 42 and the water thereafter can ilow both sideways aroundthe curved surface of the defiector and through side openings 53 at each end and also downwards through the lower end of the passage 44. The dimensions of the side opening 53 and the passage 44 together with the curved configuration of the compartments in this region are arranged to cause a high velocity water ilow over the bottom walls ofthe compartments in order to move the detergent, but at the same time provide a ilushing action to the side walls. In this way during lling via either compartment it is ensured that all detergent is carried into the washing machine container.

As shown in FIGURE l the lower end of the tubular outlet 27 is received within the upper end of a molded washing machine inlet 55. This inlet is secured within the lower section 11 of the washing machine, a rubber diaphragm 56 being provided at its upper end in order to receive the lower end of the tubular outlet 27 but to permit this outlet to be readily removed from the upper end of the inlet 55 when the washing machine lid 10 is raised.

For detergent charging purposes the cap 34 ailords a rectangular opening 66 extending over a substantial part of each of the compartments 40 and 41 of the dispenser. This rectangular opening is, however, normally closed by means of a lid 67 formed as a rectangular metal stamping with a downwardly extending ilange 68 around its periphery. As shown in FIGURE 1 the top surface of the lid 67 lies ilush wtih the upper surface 69 of the washing machine top cover so as normally to form a smooth continuation thereof. The dispenser lid 67 is hinged for upward movement on a hinge pin 70, located at each end of U shaped recesses 71 formed in the cap 34 the pin 70 passing through holes in the ilange 68 of the lid to form the hinge as shown in FIGURE 3.

Also mounted to rotate about the hinge pin 70 is a detergent baille 75 which is formed as a molding of thermoplastics material. The baille has a pair of lugs 76 affording jaws which can be sprung around the pin 70 by virtue of the resilience of the material. The baille has an abutment 77 which normally lies against the underside of the lid 67 and is biased there-against by means of a coil spring 78 which surrounds the hinge pin 70 and, as shown in FIGURE 4, has one end 79 lying against the lower edge of the ilange 68 of the lid and its other end 80 resting on a surface of the detergent baille 75.

The baille 75 is mounted within the compartment 40 of the dispenser and, by means of the coil spring 78, when the lid 67 is raised to the position shown in FIGURE 4 for detergent charging purposes, the baille 75 will be swung down to the position shown in FIGURE 4 thereby forming a wall extending across the compartment 40 and thereby perventing detergent from being readily tipped into the region 81 of the compartment 40 adjacent the tubular outlet 27.

Accordingly by means of this baille, detergent will be kept to the right hand end of the compartment 40 as it is tipped in, and can remain in the compartment for a substantial period as the washing machine is carrying out other operations.

It is to be noted that the dispenser includes two corn- Cil 4 partments 40 and 41. The compartment 40 accepts detergent for a main washing operation which may commence at something like a half-hour after commencement of the cycle of operations. The other compartment 41 accepts detergent for a pre-wash part of the cycle and is used almost immediately after the start of the cycle.

Thus the two compartments 40 and 41 provide means for dispensing vdetergent into the Washing machine at diilerent times and for this purpose the two water jets 46 are arranged selectively to project water into their respective compartments under the control of a pair of solenoid operated valves one provided in each'of the supply pipes extending to the water jets 46. In this particular arrangement two solenoid operated valves each receive cold water from a single supply and the valves are selectively operated by means of a timer vcontrolling the complete cycle of operations of the washing machine. The solenoid valves and the timer being of a well known construction.

As hasfbeen mentioned the compartment 41 forms a pre-wash detergent compartment and the valve in the line to the jet 46 for this compartment will be opened at the commencement of the cycle to ilush the detergent in the compartment 41 to the left hand end of the detergent dispenser and down through the tubular drain outlet 27 and via the washing machine inlet into the Washing machine container. Because the compartment 41 is iluashed almost as soon as the cycle commences it matters not that detergent, in being poured into the compartment, might pass directly into the tubular outlet.

In contrast, detergent being poured at the same time into the main washing detergent compartment 40, must be kept away from the tubular outlet 27 until required and it is for this reason that the baille is provided to ensure that the detergent in the compartment 40 is kept well away from the tubular outlet 27. It will be appreciated that after detergent has been poured into the two compartments, and the lid 67 closed, the baille 7S will be raised by the spring 78 to the position shown in FIG- URE l no longer to obstruct passage of the detergent to the tubular outlet 27. Accordingly, in practice it is found that the particulate detergent, despite vibration of the machine will remain in the compartment 40, until the main wash part of the cycle of operations is reached at which time the other solenoid operated valve is operated so that water is projected into the compartment 40 to ilush the detergent therein down into the washing machine.

The provision of a connection between the lid 67 of the dispenser and the baille 75 by means of the spring 78 is in order to enable the baille to be deilected upwards even if the lid 67 is in its open position. Deflection of the baille to such a position is shown in FIGURE 4. This enables the part of the dispenser in the region 81 to be cleaned when the lid 67 is open. If such a facility were not required the baille could quite well be iirmly iixed to or form an integral part of the lid.

Alhough we have shown a preferred arrangement of my invention, various adaptions and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a washing machine detergent dispenser comprising a compartment for retaining a particulate detergent composition until a required time in the washing cycle, an inlet and outlet for said compartment, an access opening through which the said composition may be poured into said compartment, the said access opening having a lid movable between open and closed positions, the improvement comprising a baille mounted in said compartment for movement from an operative position in which it separates that part of said compartment containing said outlet from that part of said compartment into which said composition is poured and an inoperative position in which it does not separate said parts of said compartment, and means for moving said baille into operative and inoperative position as said lid is opened and closed respectively.

2. The device of claim 1 in which said baffle is connected to said lid by a spring means so that said bae may be moved with respect to said lid.

3. The device of claim 2 in which said baffle and said lid are mounted on a common hinge pin.

4. The device of claim 3 in which said spring means comprises a coiled spring surrounding said common hinge pm.

6 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,204,831 9/1965 Butler et al. 222-193 3,248,910 5/1966 Bochan 222--193 X 3,144,031 8/1964 Long 222--193 X ROBERT B. REEVES, Primary Examiner. HADD S. LANE, Assistant Examiner. 

